The Sanctuary

Technology => Technophiliacs & Technophiles => Topic started by: aldra on September 07, 2014, 04:15:39 pm

Title: replacing laptop speakers with headphone amp/DAC
Post by: aldra on September 07, 2014, 04:15:39 pm
laptop speakers tend to be shit, and mine are about the worst available. unfortunately due to size constraints, there's not really a drop-in solution, so I was thinking I'd instead remove them, and use the free space for an inline headphone amp. I could potentially make my own amp (there are plenty of plans around, and components aren't all that expensive), or buy a decent low-end amp/dac like the Fiio E11, strip it and mount it in the case...

unfortunately I might not have enough space for even a custom amp unless I make the pcb a very specific size, but I figured it was an interesting idea. any thoughts?
Title: Re: replacing laptop speakers with headphone amp/DAC
Post by: RustyShackleford on September 08, 2014, 12:42:53 am
What are the benefits over the built in amp?
Title: Re: replacing laptop speakers with headphone amp/DAC
Post by: fanglekai on September 08, 2014, 02:43:36 am
head-fi.org is probably a better place to ask lol
Title: Re: replacing laptop speakers with headphone amp/DAC
Post by: aldra on September 08, 2014, 02:55:08 am
lolno, I read head-fi when I want to buy new equipment but the grade of wankers there is staggering

Rusty: the built-in sound decoder seems to have a fairly low output level; it can't drive my ATH-M55s properly. I have a portable amp that works nicely, but I was curious about installing an amp inside the case so I don't need to daisychain a bunch of devices. I'll take a photo when I get home tonight.
Title: Re: replacing laptop speakers with headphone amp/DAC
Post by: RustyShackleford on September 08, 2014, 03:20:06 am
lolno, I read head-fi when I want to buy new equipment but the grade of wankers there is staggering

Rusty: the built-in sound decoder seems to have a fairly low output level; it can't drive my ATH-M55s properly. I have a portable amp that works nicely, but I was curious about installing an amp inside the case so I don't need to daisychain a bunch of devices. I'll take a photo when I get home tonight.
Ok sounds cool. I'm not much of an audiophile so I can't offer much help.